Abstract
Through a literature mapping exercise, this paper examines how gender and national security are and can be linked. It focuses specifically on the utility of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda for the United Kingdom’s (UK)) national security orientation and argues that paying attention to gender issues is important for a holistic understanding of peace and security. Yet, drawing on the literature, this exercise demonstrates that there are tensions inherent in defining ‘national security’, thus problematising the link between gender and national security.
To illustrate some of these tensions and risks, the paper examines the UK’s involvement in Afghanistan and its commitments to Ukraine, two conflict-affected high priority contexts for the UK.
While the literature on the UK’s role in Afghanistan as well as the implementation of the WPS agenda as a vector for gender/security is vast and diverse, a dominant thread centres on failures. These include superficial engagement of the WPS agenda, as well as instrumentalisation of the gender/security link that does not accord Afghan women agency and has not produced sustainable peace in over two decades. Lessons from Afghanistan can help to inform the approach to Ukraine
where the importance of bringing a gender lens to the nature of the conflict is observable.
Although there is a lack of consensus within the international relations scholarship on the meaning of national security, the UK has nevertheless prioritised tackling transnational challenges such as global health risks, cybersecurity, serious and organised crime, and climate change. While the grey literature suggests that there is scope to integrate these areas of concerns within the WPS agenda, and thus link gender more explicitly to national security, this integration has not yet happened in any substantive way. The effectiveness of this linkage in supporting gender equality and delivering peace, however, is contingent on a conception of national security premised on human security. This report
concludes with potential recommendations for supporting the greater integration of WPS within the national security orientation of the UK
To illustrate some of these tensions and risks, the paper examines the UK’s involvement in Afghanistan and its commitments to Ukraine, two conflict-affected high priority contexts for the UK.
While the literature on the UK’s role in Afghanistan as well as the implementation of the WPS agenda as a vector for gender/security is vast and diverse, a dominant thread centres on failures. These include superficial engagement of the WPS agenda, as well as instrumentalisation of the gender/security link that does not accord Afghan women agency and has not produced sustainable peace in over two decades. Lessons from Afghanistan can help to inform the approach to Ukraine
where the importance of bringing a gender lens to the nature of the conflict is observable.
Although there is a lack of consensus within the international relations scholarship on the meaning of national security, the UK has nevertheless prioritised tackling transnational challenges such as global health risks, cybersecurity, serious and organised crime, and climate change. While the grey literature suggests that there is scope to integrate these areas of concerns within the WPS agenda, and thus link gender more explicitly to national security, this integration has not yet happened in any substantive way. The effectiveness of this linkage in supporting gender equality and delivering peace, however, is contingent on a conception of national security premised on human security. This report
concludes with potential recommendations for supporting the greater integration of WPS within the national security orientation of the UK
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Commissioning body | WPS Helpdesk |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Publication status | Published - 2023 |